Concentrating-indicator for grain-elevators



(No Model.) 3 Shee-ts-Sheet 1 P. E. PARKER.

OONOENTRATING INDICATOR FOR GRAIN ELEVATORS.

No. 552,391. Patented Dec. 31, 1895.

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ANDREW 8.6RAHAM. i'nmuumuwAsmNcTOR. 0 GV (No Model.) I 3 Sheets-Shee't 2.

F E. PARKER. GONGBNTRATING INDICATOR FOR GRAIN ELEVATORS.

No. 552,391. Patented Dec. 31, 1895.

.\N DREW KER/MAM. PHOTO-Ui'HQWASHINGTON. DC

(N0 Model 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.. P. E. PARKER.

GONGENTRATING INDICATOR POR- GRAIN EL'EVATORS. No. 552,391.

Patented Dec. 31,- 1895.

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FZTPa/rku? 2 Jim ANDREW B GRAHAM. PHOTO-UTHQWASMNOTON. D C

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS E. PARKER, or KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

CONCENTRATINGINDICATOR FOR GRAIN-ELEVATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 552,391, dated December 31, 1895.

Application filed April 2 '7, 1 8 9 5.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS E. PARKER, of Kansas City, Jackson county, Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Concentrating-Indicators for Grain-Elevators, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

Hy invention relates to indicators for grainelevators, and more particularly to what I term concentrating-indieators.

The object of the invention is to provide a structure whereby samples of the kind of grain in the bins and the quality and condi-.

tion of the same may always be conveniently under the observation of the manager, foreman, or other person in charge, and which will immediately and positively and reliably indicate when any of the bins become empty.

A further object is to provide a concentrating apparatus of the character above described whereby any kind or quality of grain may be mixed or mingled with any other kind or quality or with several or all of the other kinds or qualities of grain.

lVith these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In order that the invention may be fully understood, I will proceed to describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a horizontal section on the the line 1 1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, with one of the concentrating-indicators partly in section. of Fig. 4, and Fig. at is a section taken line l 4 of Fig.

Previous to my invention it has been im possible, so far as my knowledge extends, to ascertain what kind or quality of grain was contained in a certain bin Without relying upon memory, referring to the books, or sending a man to the upper portion of the elevator to climb down into the bin and get a sample of grain, which is exhibited to an expert, who determines the kind and quality, and whether heavy or light compared to bulk.

on the Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3 3 Serial No. 547,333. (No model.)

, because it is the most reliable of the three in large elevators and is objectionable principally on account of the time wasted and the difficulty experienced in getting the sample, particularly if the grain is rather low in the bin. It is also objectionable in that an opinion as to kind and quality based upon an examination of the very small quantity which can be held in ones hand is not always reliable. It is obvious, also,that the books, if relied on without inspecting the grain, may lead to considerable troublesuch, for instance, as filling a car before discovering that the grain is not what is required.

With my invention the kind, quality and condition of the grain in every bin is always under the eye of the person in charge, who may extract a sample from any of said bins, if thought desirable, without the least dificulty and in a second or two of time; and it consists essentially in a series of valve-controlled seed spouts or chambers communicating with the grain-bins and provided with transparent windows, through which the grain may be observed, and with openings through which a sample of any grain may be extracted.

1 It also consists in a funnel, into which the grain from any of said spouts or chambers may be discharged, and in a pair of valvecontrolled diverging spouts, which lead from the bottom of said funnel to a pair of grainelevator boots below.

Referring to the detail construction, 1 designates an elevator of the usual or any preferred construction, which is provided with the vertical bins 2, and with the grain weighing and distributing bins or hoppers 3 provided with the spouts i of the usual or any preferred construction, which will convey the grain after it has been weighed from said bins or hoppers and discharge it into any of said bins 2. Said grain weighing and distributing hoppers are supplied by means of the usual elevators 5, three being shown in this instance, and said elevators at their lower ends operate in the elevator-bo0ts 6, 7 and 8.

All of the structure thus far described is common to grain-elevators.

lhat which I will now proceed to describe embodies my invention.

9 designates, generally, my grain-concentrating indicator. In the case of an elevator having a large number of grain-bins, and therefore equipped with two sets of elevators and gratings communicating with the boots of the same, which are supplied from two railroad tracks, I preferably will employ two indicators, as illustrated in Fig. 1, and if the elevator be elongated I will preferably employ at intervals throughout its length one or more pairs of said indicators. However, as each will be a duplicate of the others, the description of one will sufiice for all. It is constructed as follows: 10 designates a semicircular or approximately semicircular vertical wall. 11 designates a similar but much smaller wall, which is arranged concentrically of the wall 10, and is at its ends connected with the ends of said wall 10, as at 12, to form a semicircular chamber or compartment. This chamber or compartment is divided preferably by partitions 13, which radiate from the axis of the said semicircular chamber or compartment into sub-compartments 14, corresponding in number to the bins in the elevator, or to half the number of bins in the elevator if two indicators are employed, as shown in Fig. 1. with the ends of the wall 11 and converge outwardly to a point, so as to form an approximately bowkite-shaped chamber 16, and the bottom of said chamber and of all the subchambers 1i incline downwardly, as shown at 17, to the apex of the chamber 16, as shown clearly in Fig. 4, and said chamber 16 is provided at its lower end and apex with the openings 18, which communicate with spouts or chutes 19. Said spouts or chutes preferably continue the downward inclination of the bottom 17 of said chamber and sub-chambers, and also diverge and communicate at their lower ends with the boots 6 and S.

The openings 18 are controlled by vertical slide-valves 20, which are suitably guided, and are provided with stems or handles 21, projecting upwardly through the platform 22. This platform 22 may or may not form a portion of the elevator-floor, as desired. It, however, is preferably cut away contiguous to and parallel with the wall 11 to form a semicircular slot 23, through which the grain passing down into the ehamber16 may be viewed. Each sub-chamber let has an outlet 24 through the wall 11, and said outlets are controlled by independent slide-valves 25, provided with handles 26, as shown, or of any other suitable or preferred construction. At the upper end of the wall 11 projects outwardly the horizontal wall or flange 27, which forms a part of the top wall of the sub-chambers, and said wall or flange is provided with hand-hole apertures 28, communicating with said sub-chambers and controlled by the pivoted lids or covers 29, so that in case it is desired to extract a sample of grain from any of said subchambers it is only necessary to swing the lid Vertical walls connect or cover to one side and to thrust ones hand through the exposed aperture. A part of the top wall of said sub-chambers consists of the annular portions 30 and 31, of imperforate material, and the interposed portions 32, of transparent material of any kind or quality. This portion extends preferably parallel with the bottom 17, and extending upwardly from the upper margin of the portion 31 is the annular vertical flange 3 3, and said flange is connected by the horizontal portion 3% with the upper end of the wall 10 and is provided with openings into which protrude the lower ends of the fixed spouts 35, leading from the various grain-bins. The indicator is preferably about six feet high, so that the spout 35, as shown in Fig. 2, will be above and out of the way of persons walking around the indi cator or upon the floor of the elevator where it is located.

It will now be understood that if there is any grain at all in any of the bins it will gravitate to the sub-chambers 14:, where it will be plainly visible to the foreman or person in charge through the transparent portion or window 32. Said portion in practice will preferably be partitioned OK so as to provide one window for each sub-chamber, and above the various windows will preferably be printed the name, the number, the quality, &c., of the grain contained in the particular bin to which said sub-chamber is connected, and all of said windows, when arranged semicircularly, will be convenient to the foreman or other person in charge from a point about axially of the indicator. Should the person in charge receive an order for a car of grain at so many pounds to the ear-load, he raises the slide-valve leading to the proper elevator-boot, and also raises the valve of the sub-chamber containing the particular grain required, which. immediately gushes forth through the exposed opening 24: and continues down from the bin through said sub-chamber and the chamber 16 until the required quantity has been ob tained. This is ascertained in the usual manner as the grain is carried up by the elevator and deposited into an apparatus where it is weighed, and is then passed through one or the other of the cleaners 36, from which it is conveyed to the car in the usual manner. If, in supplying grain at so many pounds to the car-load, he finds the grain is running light or heavy, as the case may be, in proportion to the bulk, he lowers the corresponding valve 25 slightly and opens another valve to permit a heavier or lighter grain, respectively, to mix or mingle with that first referred to, or he may mix grain from several of the subchambers in order to get the required weight as compared with the bulk, and it is obvious that by such manipulation of the slide-Valves it will take but a very few minutes to ascertain what combination as to kind and quality will fill the car at the required weight. It is easy for him to ascertain the weight at any time by means of the speaking-tubes, which lead from the lower floor to the apartments above in all first-class elevators. The speaking-tubes are not shown in this connection.

From the above description, taken in connect-ion with the accompanying drawings, it is apparent that I have produced a structure for automatically and reliably indicating at all times the kind, quality or condition of the grain in any of the bins, and also for concentrating the samples, so that they may be visible from a single point of View; also that I have provided for the mixing of any or all of said grains in any desired proportion, and for conveying the grain in such mixed state to the point required.

It will furthermore be apparent that I have produced a concentrating indicator which is simple, durable, and inexpensive of construction, and which may be conveniently placed in completed elevators, or may be built as an integral part of an elevator.

Vhile I have described a particular form of concentrating indicator, it is to be understood that changes in the form, proportion, and in the detail construction of the parts may be made without departing from the essential spirit and scope or sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is V 1. In agrain elevator, the combination of a plural number of bins, a corresponding num ber of spouts inclined downwardly therefrom, and a concentrating indicator, consisting of a corresponding number of downwardly inclined radial chambers, formed partially of transparent material that the grain may be under observation, and a funnel communicating with the lower ends of all of the radial chambers, substantially as set forth.

2. In a grain elevator, the combination of a plural number of grain bins, weighing-bins to supply the same, elevators to supply the weighing-bins, a funnel, a pair of valve-controlled chutes connecting the same with a pair of elevators, and a grain concentrating indicator, consisting of inclined chambers communicating with the first-named grain bins and with the funnel, and provided with windows in view of a person over the funnel, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANCIS E. PARKER. Witnesses:

M. R. REMLEY, S. B. FALOR. 

